Deputy Editor, WAtoday

Shire of Ashburton CEO Jeff Breen (centre, front) and president Kerry White (second from right) insist there has been no wrongdoing despite being asked to show cause as to why the council should not be suspended.

A Pilbara local council has been asked to justify why it should not be suspended after a probity audit revealed numerous concerns with its operations.

The Department of Local Government was asked to investigate the Shire of Ashburton after complaints from ratepayers.

WAtoday.com.au understands the audit uncovered numerous examples of the council failing to comply with the Local Government Act.

Chief executive officer Jeff Breen was immediately stood aside when the department's confidential report was finalised on Tuesday. He has been given until close of business on Monday to respond to the allegations contained in the report.

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Elected councillors also are understood to have been asked to justify why they should not be suspended for six months to allow for "training and education".

The state government confirmed to WAtoday.com.au the audit had been carried out but declined to comment until responses had been considered.

Mr Breen said he welcomed the probity audit and was not surprised by its findings.

The council's budget had grown from $12 million to $107 million in seven years and it should not be unexpected that mistakes would be made.

"When that happens you get a lot of new people in and ... some of the processes aren't necessarily followed to the degree that they might otherwise be," Mr Breen said.

"Some of the issues [raised in the report] are quite valid, ... some aren't valid and some are open to interpretation."

Mr Breen said the rapid growth of the council and the Pilbara had made running a local council more difficult.

This included assessing about $100 billion worth of construction projects - many of state significance.

"We live in the Pilbara; it's a high-pressure environment," he said.

"[There's been] rapid growth of all the councils, it's difficult to recruit people [and all this] against a backdrop of the minister [John Castrilli] wanting us to be financially sustainable and so on, so it's very difficult."

Mr Breen believed the report was a reflection of the council and not him personally.

He was confident of satisfactorily responding to the adverse findings and returning to his job on Tuesday.

Shire President Kerry White she said called for the probity audit following "numerous complaints" from ratepayers but declined to detail what they were.

She denied councillors or council staff had acted illegally or criminally and was "most definitely" confident the council would not be suspended.